I had a totally different thought this afternoon, but wanted to make this daily diary thing easy, and that means writing my heart.

I am tired of faces.

Totally, completely, bored with faces.

For the past year or so, I have been practicing. Studying. Doing graphite portraiture and realistic pieces, cartoon and illustration types, big and little and focused on tiny details omg get them right! I have studied them with graphite, charcoal, colored pencils, crayons, oils, and acrylics. Even paint pens. And all I can show for it is a desire to draw them fast and expressive and get on with it!

I have faces with necks and....nothing more.

I became so focused on all the details that I lost the forest for the trees. I would get lost in seeking perfection and lose spontaneous expression. By the end, my girls would be staring blankly into space and I just....gah.

So I started creating animal girls, totem girls, as I journeyed on my own Heroine's Quest. I was opened up to the world of animal wisdom last summer, and have begun remembering my dreams. Sometimes, I'll hear a random animal's call, or see it repeated across a day or two, and know it's trying to tell me something. And so my girls morphed into something new, again.

So now I can turn that laser focus to the gothic lolita dresses I've loved for years and want to draw. I can work on learning color theory. I can go BIG.

That's what I have been called to do. Paint BIG. Stand and dance as I spread paint across the canvas. Look at my new, giant brushes!

TODAY: Woke up late, worked on a couple project, and felt Friday fall on my shoulders when I heard those words we all hate: your car needs to go in for repairs. Ugh. That fell with a couple other things, and I had to draw a new map through emotion. Went to the library. Bought good, organic, non-GMO fed foods for a yummy dinner. Try kombucha & forgot fermented = not good for gluten-free me.

I've had Fibromyalgia/CFS for 17 years, along with an alphabet soup of medical issues. Creativity and art saved my life. I also write about grief, suicide/mental illness awareness, and chronic illness.

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I love layering marks and paint. You never know what is going to show through all of the layers. Just make marks - each mark inspires the next one, and yeah, you might cover up something you like, but it’s all part of the journey to create art with deeper meaning. You know what to do, so stop waiting for the muse to strike and play! #journalgirl #artjournal #mixedmedia #rangerink #ilovemyblackjournal

My take on #insanelyinspiredinstagram. Here’s where I create. I could also share my favorite coffee shop at my desk at work since I work wherever. That box on the left is where my favorite supplies go when I’m on the go - or sitting in my recliner since being a #spoonieartist makes it hard to sit at a desk for a long period of time. You can juuust see the tripod I have for filming videos. This L was made by my brother and I have inherited it. Favorite pieces and a color wheel hang above the desk. Everything is close by. And I rarely clean it up. 😉 #journalgirl #artist

Mood Board Monday is finally up...just needed a little time! I did a different workflow for this one and worked on it all over the place! I really like how it came out even if I didn’t have the space to write the quote I actually wanted to use! #journalgirl #mixedmedia #artjournal #janedavenport #fabercastell